5 Life Lessons that Made Me Me – Lesson One

If you had to choose five life lessons that influenced or molded you into the adult you are today, what would you write about? Over the next five days I’ll be sharing some of my personal life lessons with you.

Life lessons can be those painful or happy things that alter our life’s direction or change the way we view the world.

Life Lesson #1. As a child and young adult I remember my dad telling me,
“There is a price to pay for success.”
After World War II my dad wanted to earn both a Bachelors and Juris Doctor (law) degrees. Mom and dad knew it would probably take seven years to complete all his schooling. I was just a young child when he started college and didn’t totally realize what was going on. At first I didn’t understand why everyone else’s father came home for dinner and mine didn’t? Why did families go on vacation and we didn’t? Why did the neighbors have a new car and we didn’t?

Mom, Dad and Sharon at 11 months

As I grew older, I realized how hard my dad was working. He worked a full time job during the day and went to school five nights a week. We didn’t have a car so he walked to and from the bus stop in all sorts of weather. He’d ride the bus to work early in the morning and ride it back home late at night after college. Weekends he was either in the basement studying or working around the house. I watched him go for his goals – goals for our family.

My dad knew how to stay focused on keeping the important things important. I admire how he set a goal and was willing to do what it took to reach it. With the demands of work, college and law school plus having a wife and child, dad never lost his focus. I also appreciate how much my mom supported his goal and how much she gave up during those seven years. They were a team.

As a family we couldn’t get those years he went to school back, but those seven years created a secure and rich future we were able to enjoy together. I will be forever grateful for my father teaching me about persistence, focus and drive.

Here’s what watching dad taught me:1. Discipline.2. You can’t have it all – there are often short term sacrifices for achieving long-term gains.3. Support of loved ones is vital.4. Focus on the payoff.5. Enjoy the journey and appreciate each success along the way.

How important is your goal to you? Is it worth the short term sacrifice for the long term rewards? Today is the day to write out a long term goal you are willing to focus on and work toward until it becomes reality. If you’d like, come stop by our Facebook Group and share your goal with us, we’ll cheer you on.

Be sure to purchase your copy of Sharon’s empowering paperback and Kindle book, How To Give Your the POWER to Succeed on Amazon.com – Recognizing the things you’re doing that may be keeping you from the things you want.